Quest of the Dragoons Book 2: Island of Souls
by Illyria's Acolyte
Summary: With Jake out of commision and Lavitz no where to be found, the remaining Dragoons try to piece together whats left of thier lives until two women bring Adrianne a startling message.
1. Prologue

Mary Ringwood and April May were walking home from a party at their friend Kait's house when they noticed a back route that was much quicker, but looked a little dangerous.

"Scared?" Mary said.

"I'm no chicken," April said. "We'll take that road. Just watch your back." She poked Mary in the side. They were both a little drunk.

The two girls ran down the dark alleyway. About halfway down, April noticed that Mary's breathing had been absent for a while.

"Mary?" April asked. "Mary, this isn't funny anymore. Come on out."

April was scared. She started to run away and out of the dark alleyway and into the main road.

"A-pril," a woman's singsong voice called for her from a little further down the street.

"Who's there?" she asked. "Show yourself. I'm not afraid."

"Oh but you are," the voice said. "I smell it. I like the smell of fear, puppy."

"Don't be so hard on her love," another female voice said. "She's just been a bad dolly. She needs a little punishment."

"Dru, as much as I appreciate your appetite," the first voice said. "We really need to be on our way. Kill her and be done with it.

April walked backwards a little, when the body of her friend dropped on top of her. April screamed, and started to run away when she ran into a red-headed vampire.

"No fair," the second voice said. "I was hungry. What great fun it would be to kill again."

"Take this one," the red-headed vampire said as she picked up Mary's body by the collar of her shirt and threw her in the direction of the second voice.

"Bored now," she said. "This is the part that's less fun. When there isn't any screaming." April was paralyzed with fear as the vampire brought her head back and sank her large fangs into April's neck. April then noticed the two little bite marks in Mary's neck. She screamed. April still had a little blood left. Enough to hear the vampire say one last thing.

"You're my messenger," she said. "Kate should recognize this." She pulled out a knife and slashed her own wrist. She held it up to April's mouth, and the dying girl drank hungrily.

"Drink my blood," she said. "Become my messenger." She dropped her victim.

"This one tasted good," the second voice said, appearing from the shadows. April saw now that this female was wearing a red t-shirt and a black dress. Black hair cascaded from her head like a waterfall of oil.

"Oh god yes!" the vampire yelled, as she drank from Mary. Obviously she was a little off her rocker. "Scream for me! Scream louder! Scream my name! Let the world know that Drusilla and Willow Rosenburg are back!"

In an abandoned monastery high in the mountains of Tibet, Kryusa stood looking at an alter with an emerald crystal set in the middle amidst eight other empty places for stones.

"So this is the place?"

"Yes, is the place," the sherpa said. "Is place where sacred Dragoons entered world."

"Thank you," Kryusa said. "You've been very helpful."

"And now I get paid?"

"Don't worry," Kryusa said with a wicked smile. "You'll get what's coming to you." She pushed a brick in the ruined wall. The ground shook and then the floor opened up. A staircase appeared on the ground. It led down into the darkness.

Kryusa and the sherpa descended into that darkness. Then, as they were walking down the stairs, a jet of emerald flame shot out at them and hit the sherpa.

"I warned him," Kryusa said. She pulled out her staff out of her cloak.

"Arukienen," she whispered. The staff absorbed the fire, and Kryusa's eyes glowed a brilliant emerald green. She threw off her robes and revealed her emerald green armor. She pulled a sword out of her sheath and brandished it at the dragon who shot the stream of green fire.

"Let's do this," she said. One of the deadly lizard's claws raked through the air towards Kryusa herself. She fended off the blow with the sword and went in for another strike. It connected, but the blow ricocheted off of the dragon's thick, emerald green hide. She twirled the sword behind her head, and swung the sword back around for another swipe. It hit the thick hide of the monster and made a ringing sound that made it stop for the split second Kryusa needed to shove the sword into the great beast's chest. The sword was magical, and it siphoned the power out of the creature. Green wings sprouted from her back. The sword turned into two curved blades that attached them to her wrists.

"Ah, the power of the forest in the spirit of the Emerald Dragoon," she said. "It's not the full power, but it'll do for now."

A/N: This chapter was shorter than the other ones will be, but I had to introduce the two new villains, and show the latest Dragoon Spirit, the Emerald Dragoon. It's the power of the forest. On level one, it's magic attack is Green Flame, dealing 25 damage to one opponent. It's level two magic has been changed to Rose Storm, so Greg will have a different spell for his level two, if they ever live that long.


	2. Chapter 1: Flirting with Disaster

Greg was driving the band to a concert at the local club, the Velvet Rope. His concert. Ever since Regalia lost their drummer, he hadn't showed up to any rehearsals for at least a month and a half, Ben had become the drummer and Amber replaced Greg as the lead singer. Greg decided to join his friend Brad, who played bass guitar, in the background. Now the band consisted of five people. Greg, Ben, Amber, Brad, and Devon, their keyboard player.

Over the summer, the band had made the decision to change their name to Amber Crown. Obviously, Amber had a rather large hand in the name. A rather loud, bossy, annoying hand.

Amber had gotten really bossy over the summer, and Greg was slightly annoyed. She always had something to say to make the band better. The band had rehearsed their new hit, a pop-rock remix of the classic country song I Fall to Pieces, twenty times in their last two hour rehearsal, leaving less than an hour for the other three songs they had to perform.

'She made me look like an ass up on stage, the stupid bitch," Greg thought. 'If she just gave me ten minutes, no, fifteen minutes, to tell her what I really thought about her and her goddamn two hour practices. Before her, we only needed an hour, because we knew what we were doing, and it sounded fine. Now, it has to be 'perfect.' God, she is just-'

"I'm an empath you moron," Amber said as she opened the door to his car. "I can hear your thoughts, you stupid prick. Don't think stuff like that about me."

"Yes dear," Greg said. 'I am so whipped.'

"I heard that," Amber yelled.

"Word of advice Ben," Greg said. "NEVER date an empath. Especially one trained by Ella What's-her-name."

"Emma." Amber said. "Emma DeLauro. And she happens to be very good."

"Well, I just wish my girlfriend would say something," Ben replied. "She hasn't started a conversation in two months. And the last one was 'Did you pick up the dry cleaning?' I'm telling you, I think she's depressed."

"No shit Sherlock," Brad said. " Ever since Jimbo and Krissi disappeared before school got out. But we're seniors now."

"No, you're seniors now," Amber said. "Greg, Ben, and I are still stuck in the junior range."

"Maybe, but you're still taking all college classes, like some of the seniors," Ben said. "So it's like you're a senior. And Greg, Greg is dating you, so he's popular by association. Me, I'm a drummer and I'm dating a psychopath."

"Becca is not a psychopath," Amber said. "She just needs a decent boyfriend who actually talks to her more than once a month."

"That is a gross exaggeration," Ben said. "I see her at least twice a month." That got a small chuckle from the band as they pulled up at the club.

"College classes are so boring," Amber said. "I've been taking them for two years straight now, and I've never gotten less than a ninety-five in all of them. Well, see ya later boys."

"My god," Greg said as she walked away. "She gets more and more like this every day. Last night, she called my house and talked to me for three hours. Three hours!"

"Lucky bastard," Ben said. "I can't get my girlfriend to say three words to me."

"Okay, explain to me the problem," Devon said. "You've got one of the hottest chicks in town, and she doesn't wanna talk."

"Yeah, but she won't have sex with me again either," Ben said.

"Wait, again?" Greg asked. "What have you been keeping from me?"

"Never mind," Ben continued. "She said she'd be here. I'm gonna take off and find her before the show."

"One thing," Greg asked. "Was it good?"

"It was spectacular," he said. "Why do you think I put up with it?" Then he walked into the crowd.

"So, remind me again why we're going to this, concert thing?" Kylie asked. "And why did we drag depresso girl with us?"

"Which one is depresso girl?" Alex asked.

"Because," Kelly said. "I'm here to support my sister. And Adrianne needs to get out of the hospital. And Becca needs to come out of her room. Lavitz is missing in action, and Jake's out cold. Alex and Emma need to live a little. And Becca's grandma needed an excuse to baby-sit for-"

"Hi," Becca's little sister Amanda said. "I just came-"

"To see Ben," Becca said shortly. "Stay away from him."

"No, I was gonna say I came to see Amber," Amanda said. "I had an epiphany over the summer, and now I am completely over him."

"Stay away from my boyfriend," Becca repeated.

"Okay," Kelly said. "Time for your anti-depressant." Kelly took a little yellow pill, a new drug that was prescribed to her by her doctor, out of it's little container and popped it in Becca's mouth. "Feel better?"

"No, I-" Becca thought a little. "Do feel a little better, but that has nothing to deal with the pill."

"Uh-huh," Kelly said. "Gotta love that fast-acting Espylacopa."

"Cute as that was," Kylie commented. "We should get there fast. Wouldn't want to be mugged."

"Yes, mugged," Alex replied sarcastically. "Here on the dangerous streets of Elbridge."

"Alex," Adrianne said. "We're in New York City."

Alex looked around at the tall buildings, bustling streets, and the cabs that drove by about as many times as Amber stopped talking. "Holy crap! When did that happen?"

Adrianne shook her head and continued down the street.

"I thought you hated social gatherings, Kate?" Emma said as the two people walked down the streets of New York City. "I'm going for Amber. Remind me again why you're going."

"I'm going because large gatherings of people like this tend to draw out monsters, demons, or sometimes just normal crazy people."

"And the three Dragoons here already aren't enough."

"You can never have too much back up," Kate replied, giving her crimson locks a toss. "And besides, it might be fun."

"Call the press," Emma said sarcastically. "Kate's actually having fun."

"Not yet," Kate said as the two red-haired women entered the small clearing in Central Park where Greg and the band, recently renamed Amber Crown, were going to play.

Backstage at the concert, Greg was tuning his guitar in the dressing room he had to share with Ben. Their employers were not very accommodating. He and Ben had to share a room, as did Brad and Devon. Amber, being the only female in the band, wanted her own room, but she decided to stay with Greg. But with Ben on the other side, she had gotten really timid, leaving Greg extremely unsatisfied.

'Not that she was doing much anyway,' Greg thought to himself. She had always wanted the relationship to stay a secret. She said it was so much more exciting that way. She had always been kind of a romantic. Ever since her father found out about the two of them, she had seriously turned down the sexiness. Which is why what happened next surprised Greg so much.

"What do you think of this outfit?"

Amber walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a silver sequin dress that was cut down to her rib cage. It was about ankle length, and had a slit on the right side that went almost all the way up her leg. Her auburn hair had been done, and curled. She had a pair of dangling diamond earrings, and clear glass shoes that showed her beautiful feet. Her toes weren't done, the never are.

"Well?"

"I, I," Greg was rendered completely speechless. "Like it."

"I know I've been kind of been ignoring you lately," Amber said seductively, getting right next to his ear. "But I promise you that after this concert, I'll make up for it. And then some."

Greg's breath came out in short gasps. He had never seen this side of her before. Not even when she had been trying to make her father jealous had she gotten slutty.

"And we'll see if we can do something about that unsightly bulge in your pants." She walked past him and slapped his ass.

Greg looked down at his shoes and noticed what she was talking about. He closed his eyes, and tried to think about anything, ANYTHING, besides sex with Amber. Didn't work. And just in time for him to go onstage.

"Aw, fuck. Not again."

Sitting out in the audience, Kelly could feel the vibe of the concert goers. There was something wrong here. She couldn't quite sense what it was exactly, but something wasn't right. She bit her lip as she crossed her legs to a more nervous looking position. This is when Emma noticed her.

"So, you feel it too?" she asked her protégé.

Kelly nodded. "Something's wrong. Something's going to happen."

"But you can't tell what it is," Emma finished, and Kelly nodded.

"It's a mighty strange feeling," Kelly expressed with a sigh. "I just hope the concert goes off without a hitch."

Greg and the other band members were waiting backstage when Ben felt… something. He couldn't quite describe what it was, but it was like a cold shadow descended on the park. There was something here. Something evil. Something powerful. Or at least extremely dangerous. He looked towards Amber, and she seemed to feel it too. All they could do was go out onstage and play the concert, hoping nothing happened.

Greg, Ben, Amber, and the rest of the band walked onstage, watched vigorously by the other Dragoons and their allies. Kate and Emma took seats near the exit so as to guard them better.

"Well, since this is our first concert in New York City, the best damn town in the world," Amber yelled, much to the crowd's content. It seemed to be a much more boisterous and voluptuous crowd than usual. Hopefully that was the evil they had been sensing. "We'd like to start things off with an old favorite of mine." Devon struck a minor chord on his keyboard.

"Anyone know it?" Amber asked. "It's an old tune by Evanescence. My Immortal." And then she began to sing.

"_I'm so tired of being here,_

Suppressed by all my childish fears.

And if you have to leave,

I wish that you would just leave.

'Cuz your presence still lingers here,

And it won't leave me alone."

Two figures were watching from the shadows. They were avoiding the light until the sun went down. The were eventually sneaking gradually out of the shadows as the sun set in the west. They both had evil smirks on their washed-out faces, smiling at the catastrophe they would cause.

"_These wounds won't seem to heal,_

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase.

When you cried I-"

It was at that moment that the sun went down completely and the two women decided to launch their attack. The red-headed one, decked up all dominatrix in full black leather with plenty of cleavage, ran towards the stage. The dark-haired one, wearing a red t-shirt and a black dress, ran for the exits.

"I'm sorry ma'am," Amber smiled politely. "But you can't come up on the stage while we're-"

The red-haired woman put her finger to Amber's lips. "Shh…," she whispered. "Bad puppy. No barking."

"Dude, you're nuts," Devon remarked from behind the keyboard. "People don't bark."

"You're not a people," the red-headed woman said. "You're a dog. A dirty, dirty dog. And I'm gonna fix you, you bad boy."

She grabbed Devon by the throat and lifted the pretty boy off his feet. He was gasping for air and his terrified feet were dangling helplessly in the empty space. She put the other hand around his groin and pulled. Hard. A long, painful scream erupted from Devon's mouth as the other members of the band looked on in horror. His groin was bleeding as she dropped him back onto the floor of the stage. He whimpered slowly and began to cry. Amber raced over to him as the entire crowd went into a panicked uproar.

"Someone call the paramedics," yelled a disembodied voice from the crowd. Just some random person that Amber couldn't see.

"Ooo, I like this town," said the dark haired woman, tracing her right index finger in complicated pattern in the air. "They deliver."

"Who the hell are you?" Ben asked, stepping away from his drum set. "And what do you want with us?"

"I hear that your friend Adrianne is acquainted with the Dragoons," said the red haired woman. "And I also hear that you are a good friend of hers. So I want you to give her a message. Tell her that we have her boyfriend. That Drusilla and Willow Rosenburg have her boyfriend." She threw the detached genitals at the keyboard player and slowly walked away.

Ben ran over to Devon to see if he was okay. Obviously, he wasn't. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

"I'm calling nine one one," Ben said. "And I'm going with him."

"We all should," Amber nodded solemnly. "Poor Devon." As she said those last few words, the rest of the gang ran up on stage as the crowd panicked and ran.

"Who the hell was that?" Kelly yelled.

"Drusilla," Kylie murmured. "Drusilla, Drusilla, Drusilla. Where have I heard that name before?"

"What is it Kylie?" Emma asked.

"Drusilla," Kate closed her eyes and smirked wistfully. "It's been a long time since I heard that name. A long time."

"Who is she?" Adrianne piped up.

"Now I remember," Kylie said, throwing her hands up in the air. "She's a nutty seeress who delights in torture and other despicable acts. She doesn't usually team up with Willow though."

"Not the one from this dimension anyway," Kate said. "No, I think that one is from another world. It was brought here by the Gem of Vormav. It's a powerful jewel named after the vampire king, and it has the power to bring back vampires from the depths of hell."

"So she's already been killed," Kylie mused. "Well, I suppose this would be as good a time as any to tell you about Jake."

"What happened?" Adrianne questioned immediately. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine, he's fine," Kylie assured her. "But we may have found a way to make him better again. We think his spirit is located somewhere near Easter Island. Or an alternate dimension France ruled by demons."

"I choose this France," Kelly said nervously.

"Well, we can't send four Dragoons halfway across the world for this," Kylie chided. "Some of you will have to stay here. I wanna say… two?"

"How about one?" Becca said. "We'll need all the help we'll get. And besides, Kate and Emma will be here."

"And," he whispered aside to her softly. "I don't think Adrianne is in any mental condition to fight anyone. I think it would be best if Greg, Ben, and I will travel to Easter Island and get Jake's soul. Adrianne and Lavitz, if we ever find him, will just have to stay here and deal with our two little girls."

"But they'll have help from Kate and Emma, right?" Kylie inquired.

"Yes, I don't think we'll need their help," Becca agreed. "I think three Dragoons might be overkill, but it doesn't hurt to be safe. You know, just in case. "

"So," Becca continued. "It looks like I'm off to Easter Island."

"Wait," Kylie cautioned. "There is a small little detail I have just been informed of. A young woman by the name of Victoria Lloyd is the only way we can get to the Dragoon spirit on Easter Island. She's the key to this whole operation. Find her in France first, and then go with her to Easter Island."

Becca groaned. "Is there any way we can do this without picking up all this dead weight? It seems like more and more people are discovering who we are, at great risk to us."

"I know, I know," Kylie moaned. "Believe me. I know. Right now, in the council's eyes, even a great asset like me is a liability. Or simply disposable, I was never very good with words."

Adrianne had been sitting over on the sidelines, rather quiet, trying to absorb all of this information in. She wanted to go help get Jake back, and she couldn't understand why they didn't want her help. Sure, she was a little unstable, and of course there was that whole she was the weakest Dragoon so far thing, but other than that, she was just as capable as any of the others. But deep in her heart, she knew that right now, all she wanted to do was stay by Jake's side, so she could be the first thing he sees when he wakes up. She sighed as she thought how she might never see him again. A tear came to her chocolate eye. She wiped it away before anyone noticed, but she was not quick enough for Amber. In addition to being an empath, Amber had a natural talent for sensing hurt and pain, so naturally she was drawn to Adrianne at that time. She walked over to her friend.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Adrianne was about to speak when the two girls heard a cell phone go off. Amber fished through her pockets, pulled out hers and noticed it was still off.

"Look's like it's yours," she said to Adrianne. Adrianne nodded and picked up her phone and hit the green button.

"Hello?" she answered shakily.

"Hey," said the voice on the other line. It was Mike, the doctor in charge of Jake's health care. Adrianne had always liked him. Right from the moment she laid eyes on him, she knew Jake would be safe in that hospital. "Um, do you remember how you told me to call you right away if there was any change in Jake's condition? Well, there is. I think you'd better come over here right away."

Adrianne nodded and hung up her phone. Amber walked over to her and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" she questioned.

"It's Jake."

Random thought: "He reminds me of meself, only dumber and not as attractive. -Vallon


End file.
